The end of the year is fast approaching and a whole new year is dawning. A fresh 365 days to start all over again. 525,600 more minutes to either live in or let pass you by. To say 2005 was tumultuous would be an understatement. Both personally and as a member of the human race. We lost a Pope. Almost lost New Orleans. The Eagles lost the Super Bowl and later in the year, they lost their stranglehold on the NFC East. The death toll in the Iraq War skyrocketed. Terror reared it's ugly head yet again. Politics were shaken at their very core. Eddie Guererro passed away. My personal tragedies and disappointments seemed insurmountable. I lost very good friends. Selfishly, I believed it was long before their time.
Still, there were shining moments in the last year, too. The White Sox broke the Curse of The Black Sox and won the World Series. Jamie Foxx won the Best Actor Oscar for his stunning portrayal of Ray Charles. Cardinal John Ratzinger ascended the Papacy and became Pope Bendict XVI.
Personally, I had some standout moments as well. My 35th birthday party was a classic. I rediscovered some lost friendships and established new ones. I also eliminated some of the toxic ones. I know it may not seem like it would fit into this category. But self preservation has become a priority for me. It took a good friend to make me realize that and I am forever grateful..I decided to take a step for my future and became a Supervisor in the USPS. My pet project, American Championship Pro Wrestling, took shape and began to flourish. I found out that I'm going to become a father for the third time and I truly discovered what real love is.
I want to take time out right now and thank God for every moment I lived and experienced in 2005. Without any of it there wouldn't be a journey and life is all about the journey.
This year for Christmas I received a great gift. One of my best friends gave me a video camera. It was so totally unexpected. She gave it to me in order that I might capture the important moments of my daughter's birth and first year of life. Naturally, I was overwhelmed by such a gift. I felt like I hadn't done a thing to deserve it. It's been fun tinkering about with the camera, learning all of the ins and out and what have you. But the other night I thought to myself; "What if I'd had a camera to capture the moments of my life involving the friends, family and others that I'd lost. Not just recently, but through the years. Would I be able to preserve and cherish those moments after the fact or would they just be painful reminders of the past?" I'd like to think the former. I'm gonna miss the people I lost this year. Kim and I had so much in common. Sometimes I wanna just pick up the phone and say "hey, guess what?", but I can't any more. And that just sucks. I have emails that I refuse to delete, because I feel like that's letting go. I'm not sure if I wanna let go just yet, or at all. I didn't know Phyllis as well as I'd have liked to, but Philly Bash really won't be the same without her this year. I miss my grandmother and I always will. I'd have loved to have her words on camera. Her wisdom spoke volumes beyond my understanding. I'm getting it now, Mom Mom.
I pray that each of the memories I capture from this point on will help me to heal for the losses I experienced this year and help me to live and love stronger. I guess if you have the memories, you never really lose that person or the feelings you've experienced. You never truly, totally let go.
So to each of you, enjoy your life. Cherish the memories. Live strong. Love stronger. Remember the journey. Because it's ALL about the journey.
ONE LOVE ALWAYS,
Ron
